Travel Guide

This archaeological complex called Waqrapukara. According to the researcher Dr. Victor Angles Vargas, the Quechua word Waqrapukara, etymologically comes from two words, waqra means horn and the word pukara means fortress or barracks. In short, this word waqrapukara means fortress in the shape of a horn. It was a residence of the nobility of this place; with astronomical observatories and at the same time it was a religious center protected with watchtowers and subway paths.

Other researchers conclude that the nobility of the Inka Qanchi lived in this area. In this regard we have found in our research, a publication of Aurelio Luna Villena with the name of Anecdotario de Pomacanchi, where he tells us, testimonies received from the Machu Qanchis, which from generation to generation, have been transmitted and tells us as follows: “The legendary General T’ito Qosñipa, in the army of the Inca Wayna Qhapaq, achieved the high awards as general of the conquering armies of the Empire of Tawantinsuyo. In use of his vacations he came to his tribe Qanchi, stimulated by magnificence of the Imperial Court considering distant and remote the possibility of occupying the Inca throne for his condition of plebeian, arose in his audacious mind, to overthrow the ruler of the Inca empire, with such purpose he ordered to build in secret the Fortress of Waqrapukara, so that in case of failure of his revolutionary adventure he could take refuge and resist any attack of the imperial army.

T’ito Qosñipa, proclaimed Inka of the Qanchis, organized an army, which then headed towards Cusco. The Ruler of the Empire of Tawantinsuyo, informed by the subversive activities of T’ito Qosñipa, sent a part of his army to unveil the movement, commanded by General Anqoayllo. Both armies met on the slopes of the Phiñaypampa hill, in the proximities of Corma. After a bloody and bloody battle the hosts of T’itto Qosñipa were defeated”.

As a testimony of this fact, there are still human skeletal remains in the place of the battle. T’ito Qosñipa the Inka Qanchi, after the battle of Phiñaypampa, with the rest of his soldiers, returned to Waqrapukara. The troops of general Anqoayllo pursued the fugitives and surrounded the fortress of Waqrapukara with violent attacks. When the soldiers of the aforementioned general went up to the fortress, they were thrown into the ravine as they climbed, through the gates to the abyss, at present there are remains of these doors. After fifteen days of resistance to the imperial Inca army, they discovered the water channel that supplied the fortress, they cut this water service to the army of the Inka Qanchi, for this reason he had to capitulate with General Anqoayllo.

T’ito Qosñipa was taken prisoner with a hundred of his Qanchi soldiers before the Inka Ruler of the Empire. Wayna Qhapaq, knowing the reckless courage of the young warrior T’ito Qosñipa, seeing that he would be useful in his conquests spared his life and made him marry a ñusta chosen by the Inca Qanchi in Cusco. His soldiers were also amnestied, they returned to their Qanchi tribe, with the promise to be loyal to the empire. But the ears of the hundred Qanchi soldiers were cut off. From then on they were called mottoqanchis.

In the future, in the conquest of more Inca territories towards Ecuador by Wayna Qhapaq; this warrior T’ito Qosñipa fought with the brave Kañaris. For the triumph of the imperial Inca, two thousand Kañari warriors were brought from the imperial guard, escorting the winner Wayna Qhapaq. Some of these brave Kañari warriors were also taken to the Qanchis tribe by T’ito Qosñipa; for this reason the Cañari surname also exists today in Pomacanchi.